Assessing and supporting input and advisory service systems for resilient market-oriented smallholder dairy systems in the Ethiopian and Kenyan highlands

This comparative study on dairy production systems in the Ethiopian and Kenyan highlands aims to generate a better understanding of how new configurations in dairy input and advisory service supply contribute to the innovations that embody the transition process to more market-oriented farming. Input and advisory service configurations for farming systems along a market orientation gradient will be studied, using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, and focusing on feed supply and quality assurance mechanisms. The research will create impact by coupling these insights with ongoing actions to improve input and advisory service systems and enhance systemic changes towards more resilient and sustainable food systems. Insights on input and advisory service provisioning will contribute to building better capacities of input and service providers to support resilient dairy farming systems and will inform policy that enables the creation of a more supportive institutional context.